Animated sign



July 9, 1935. G, 2,967,684

ANIMATED 5 IGN Filed Jan. 21, 1935 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

'-ing fromjwhich'portions of a wind'actuated'rotor Patented July 9, 1935UNI The inventionirelates to an animated sign,

and particularly to a wind STATE f ANIMATED5 S'IGN operated outdoorsign.

The principal object of the invention is to pro-' vldea device'o'f thischaracter comprising a'housproject and which has" display indicia withwhich ashiftable member actuated by said rotor cooperates for visualassociation.

A further object is to provide a device of this character. comprising anopen sided housing in which a rotor is journaled a djacent said openside,

and shiftable means "associated with said housing andopera'tivelyconnected with said'rotor. AJfurtherobject is "to provideuwind operatedmotive means including a housing openataits upper end and journalingopen end arotor which projects upwardly through at a'point below saidsaid open end to be "exposedto air currents at only one side of theaxisthereof;

motive means; including a housing from which porti A-;furtherobject-isto provide wind operative stationary open sided ons of a. rotorjournaledthereinproject, and means carried by said rotor for insuringactuatio irents moving rotor.

pendedclaims, the description and the drawing.

In the :drawing:

Figure 1 is tion;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary with parts broken away.

a view of the n thereof byair cur-' at aslight angle tovthe axis of thedevicein front elevaend view of; the device Figure 3 is a front view ofa modified form of the Figure 4 is a fragmentary end View of" anothermodified form of the "device with parts broken away.

= oneof -the rotor vanes.

Figure 5, isa fragmentary perspectiveview of the drawing, andparticularly to the numeral l0 designates a stationary housing,preferably of rectangularl shape and including vertical walls of end .ofsaid housing by me -equal height throughout. Journaled in the upper ansof a shaft II is a wind operated rotor comprising a plurality of bladesor vanes l2'projecting radially from shaft and spaced by spacers [3.preferably reinforced, as be I l inequiangular balanced relation andsupported Each of the vanes is st illustrated in Figure edges thereofand projecting 'a substantial dis;

tance 1 beyond the oppos -The uppermost ofthese v ite faces of thevanes.

anes partially project the figure H3 at any PATENT OFFICE shown in thedrawing the figure sociated with this figure is a shiftable or animatedpart, there being here illustrated an arm shaped member I! pivoted toportion It at the point 18. l

The shiftable part I1 is connected with the rosuitable stiff rod I9pivoted to pa relation to pivot I8 at one end an other end to oneend ofa lever 28. The lever 20 tor shaft II for actuation thereby by means ofa rt I! in spaced d pivoted at its is pivoted at intermediate its endsto the front wall of the'housing I0, and has pivoted to the end thereofopposite rod is another stiff rod 22 I which extends upwardlyandterminates in a suit-- able fitting. 23; The end of shaft H is off-setat '24 exteriorly of housing Iii to form a crank, and 1 i 1 fitting 23of rod 22 is journaled Other objects will be apparent from the apon saidcrank.

In the operation "of the device the wind or even lel to the axis ofshaft H.

the lower portion of the rotor and hence the air currents can onlystrike the rotor at one side of the center thereof whereby rotation ofthe I4 which project beyond'the face rotor is substantially unopposed;The frame bars s of vane l2 at the side edges of said vanes providecorners into which air currents directed at an angle to the vanes aretrapped to permit utilization of at least a component of their force foractuating the rotor, so that, despite the stationary positioning ofhousing- 'l0,'air currents whose direction closely approachesparallelism with the shaft I i will actuate the rotor. This rotation isthen transmitted to the shiftable member I! by means of rods l9 and 22and lever 20, whereby said member I'I shifts relative to the housing portion l6 with which it is associated to animate the figure H5.

The shiftable member l1 may be effective when spaced above the tractattention. In addition. to

associated with part of the same, but is most housing toatits functionof housing .the lower portion of .the rotor, the vertical walls of thehousingalso serv e as signboards visible from any direction, andsuitable advertising matter 35 of which the figure l5 may beillustrative, or which said figure may supplement, may be imposed on thewalls thereof.

In Figure 3 is illustrated a modified construc tion of the device,wherein the shaft ll of the rotor l2 mounts a pinion 25 at its outerend. Meshing with the pinion 25 is a pinion 26 of larger size which issuitably journaled for rotation on a stub shaft 21 carried by thehousing. A pin 28 projects from pinion 26', in spaced relation to' the,

center thereof and pivotally mounts one end of a stiff rod 29 whoseopposite end is pivotally con; nected to shiftable member II in spacedrel ation to the pivot l8 thereof. By this construe tion the member I!is shifted at a reduced speed and the rotation of pinion 26 istransmitted directly to said member.

In Figure 4 is illustrated another modifieatipn of the device, whereinthe rotor I2 is spaced rearwardl'y fromth'e front wallofhousingl'mandthe portion of shaft I I passing through this space isprovided with an off-set or crank portion 3'! rearwardly of the'front"housing wall. I'he shiftable member I"! ispivoted to the rear side ofprojecting figure portion Hi to extend therebeyond;

A stiff wire or rod 32 is mounted looselyon crank 3| atone end and ispivoted to' shiftabletmember l! at its other end to directly actuatesaid member. By this construction" the exposure of the working parts ofthe device" to the eyeiis'reduced to'a minimum, and the'same' may be en,tir'e'ly hidden if the projecting figure portion Hi is of a large sizeand positioned at or adjacent the center of the frontwall of the housingso that rod 32 is concealed therebehind.

The invention havingbeen set forth; what is claimed as new and useful181- 1. In an animated sign, an open'sided housing, a shaft journaledfor rotation in'said housing, a wind driven rotor mounted on'said' shaftto project from said'ho'using' atone side of" the axis of rotationthereof, said housing having advertis ing material imposed thereonincluding a figure outlined at least in' part by a portion projectingbeyond said housing, a member representing a part of said figurepivotd'to'.saidprojecting por-\ tion, acrank carried by said shaft, and;m'ean's for transmitting movement of said crank to said piv oted' memberto actuate the same relative to' said projecting portion, saidmeansincluding a connecting rod pivoted to said member eccentrically of thepivot thereof.

2. In an animated sign,astationary,opensided housing, a shaft journaledfor rotation in said housing, a; wind drivenvane rotor mounted on saidshaft to project from said housing atone side of the axis of rotationthereof, means for reinforcing the vanes ofv said rotor and projectingfrom the opposite facespf said vanes, said housing having advertisingmaterial imposed thereon including a figure outlined at least. in partby a portion projecting beyond said housing, a member representing a.part of said figure pivotedto said projecting portion, a'crank carriedby said shaft, and'means for transmitting movement of said crank to saidpivoted member to' actuate thesame relative to said projecting portion,said vane reinforcing means ser'vingto entrap and utilize for actuationof said rotor air currents directed" at a small angle to said shaft.

3. In an animated sign, an open sided housa ing, a shaft journaled insaid housing, a wind driven rotor mounted on said shaft to project, fromsaid housing at one side of the axis of rotation thereof, said housinghaving advertising material imposed thereon including a figure outlinedat least in part by a portion projecting beyond said housing, a memberrepresenting a part of said figure pivoted to said projecting portion,and means actuable by rotation of said shaft for pivoting said member.

4. In an animated sign, an open sided housing, a shaft journaled in saidhousing, a wind driven rotor mounted on said shaft to project from saidhou'sin'g at one sideof the axis of rotation thereof, said housinghaving advertising material imposed thereon including a figureoutlinedat least in part by a portion projecting Fyond said housing, amember representing a part of said figure shiftably connected with saidprjee t'irig portion, and means actuable by rotation of said shaftforshifting said member.

5, In an ,animated sign, an open sided housing", a shaft journaled insaid housing, a wind driven rotor mounted on said shafta'nd project'-ingfromsaid housing at one side of the axis" of rotation thereof,- saidhousing having advertisingmatter imposed thereon including a figure, amember representing a; part of said figure shiftably connected to said'housing for visual association with said figure,and' means'actuable byrotation of said shaft for actuating said member.

6'. In an animated sign, an open' sided hous-' ing to project therefromat one side of its axis of rotation, said housing having advertising matter imposed thereon" including a figure, a member representing a' partof said figure shiftably connected with said housing for visual associa'tio'nywith said figure, and means actuated by rotation of said rotor foractuating said member relative to said housing and figure.

7. In an" animated sign, an open sided housing, a wind driven rotorjournaled' in said housing to project therefrom at'on'e side of its axisof rotation; saidhousing having advertising matter imposed thereon in"representing a part of said figure shittably con .nected with saidhousing for visual association with said figure, and means actuated byrotaeluding a figure,- a member tion of said rotor for actuating saidmember relative to said housing and figure including a speed reductiondevice;

naled in said housing in spaced relation to the open side thereof, and arotor including a plurality of vanes fixedly carried by said shaft toproject therefrom in equikang ular relation, whereby a pom-6n of atleast one or said vanes projects from said housing at all times to beacted upon by air curr'iits; are housing shielding the major portion ofsaid rotor from air currents; and transmissionmeans associated with d' lQ. In; an animatedsign', a stationary open sided heusing', a shaftjournale'd in said housing in spaced relation to the open side thereof,and a rotor including' a. plurality of vanes fixedly carried by am shaftto project therefrom in equiangular relation, whereby a portion of atleast one said vanes projects frorri' said housing at all times tobeaeted' upon by air currents, advertising matter imposed on saidhousing including a figure, a memb er representing a part of said figureshiftably connected to said housing for visual association with saidfigure, and transmission means associated with said shaft and saidmember.

10. A wind actuated drive member comprising a stationary open sidedhousing, a shaft journaled in said housing, a rotor including aplurality of vanes fixedly carried by said shaft to project therefrom inequiangular relation, a reinforcing member projecting from the oppositefaces of each vane, a portion of at least one of

